About us and What We Do

PHAPHAMA IS A ZULU WORD THAT MEANS "AWAKEN YOURSELF". It was chosen because this is what we do - we help ourselves and our clients to become conscious (awake) in ways that result in behavioural change that positively transform our human relationships.

Phaphama Initiatives is a Section 21 Company with Section 18a Tax Status established in 1990. It has Recorded Status (No. 1373) with the Services SETA - instititutional accreditation in terms of the South African Qualifications Authority (Certificate below).

We connect people through life skills training, language and culture learning, and community tourism initiatives, using the knowledge we gain in doing this to inform our policy and advocacy work. Our mission is to awaken ourselves and others to our capacity to lead productive, responsible, ethical and happy lives by empowering us to relate to others, build community and achieve our goals. Our vision is to be a significant contributor to the building of sustainable peace and development. We are motivated by our belief in the power of affirmation, communication, co-operation and community building to transform ourselves and our situations in ways that uphold the good in all of us. For many of us, this work is a calling.

We provide a wide variety of training and tourism products to both paying and non-paying clients in ways that support our social responsibility programme. We work in and with all sectors of society, including government, corporations, NGOs, CBOs, schools and universities, correctional facilities, religious organisations and communities in South Africa. We have also provided our services in Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Swaziland and Hong Kong, and the organisation is involved in a number of other African and International initiatives. Our relationship building and leadership programmes support corporate and government effectiveness, community safety and development, education and job creation, often paving the way for other initiatives. Our social responsibility programme often works with and amongst young people in ways that support disadvantaged communities. We are responsive to calls for our services in contexts where recipients are unable or not yet able to pay for the services we offer. We have a policy of never excluding people from our training for financial reasons.